ANDROMEDA

Texts? I opened the door wider. The strange little woman appeared to be no threat, so I didn’t fight her when she side-stepped past me and entered without an invitation. Again, I couldn’t make sense of why a strange person acted like she knew me. My mind went to the images I’d seen, the woman who resembled me too closely. Do they think I am the person in the images?

With some sort of small black object or device in her hand, she paced to the middle of the room. The device made a chiming noise, and the woman said, “Hang on.” She swiped her finger against what looked like a glass surface, then held the black object to her ear. “This is Bethany. Yes . . . let me get back to you on that.”

Bethany? Is she talking to me?

The woman slipped the thing into a bag and started speaking so fast and incomprehensibly I had no idea what her gibberish meant.

She threw her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. “Are you listening to me, Andi?”

Andi?

“I texted you like fifteen times. Why didn’t you answer?”

“Answer what? You didn’t ask me anything?”

“What?” She shook her head. “What the heck happened with Daniel last night? That’s what I texted you.”

“Texted? Are you a scribe?”

Bethany played with her hair in a strange way as her face contorted. “Girl, sometimes I just don’t get your humor.” She laughed. “So you don’t want to tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“Come on . . . I thought you liked him. You’re the one who asked me to set you up with him on a date in the first place. You’re gonna ruin my reputation you know.”

“Oh, so you are responsible for this man. I scoffed. “Was that meant to be some kind of courting ritual? As if I have time for such paltry distractions.” I lifted my brows at her, ready for her to leave. Obviously, this was some commoner that would be of no use to me.

Bethany took a step closer, and I noticed she was balanced on some awkward footwear with sharp stilts holding them up. “What the heck is going on with you, Andi?”

There’s that name again. I stared at her and then said, “I have no information to provide you.”

“Why do you sound like a Jane Austen novel?” She scanned my body up and down. “Wait! Why aren’t you dressed yet?!” With her hand on my back, she shoved me toward a hallway and then through a doorway that led to a smaller room, which housed a small bed and even more of these strange and colorful objects. Whoever this pathetic Andi person was, she had offensive taste. What must have happened in their life to make them want to surround themselves with all these . . . colors and shapes and materials?

While I’d been taking in the aura of the room, Bethany was in poking around in what appeared to be a small wardrobe closet. Was it her job to dress me? Maybe she was a dressmaker . . . or a maid?

Bethany tossed a sheath of colorful material at me, and I cringed as I caught it in my arms. “Here, put this dress on. Move it, girl. We can’t be late, not today!”

In the bathroom chamber, I examined the water source, the contents hidden behind the mirror, and the strange bathtub. The tools here weren’t entirely different from my own world, so it wasn’t difficult to figure out what to use and how to use it. If only I could figure out why I was there.

The dress, on the other hand, was a clear indication I’d been punished for being a supreme ruler. Apparently, my new role would be as some sort of jester. Looking at myself in the mirror, I groaned. If this is how women in this world dress, I want no part of it. The material itself was soft, comfortable even. But it was covered in a ridiculous pattern of rainbows and small dogs. This childish nonsense made no sense. I, on the other hand, preferred to dress in a way that gave off an air of intimidation. I was stately, grand, commanding, powerful. Not . . . soft.

I stepped out of the bathroom to find Bethany waiting, staring at the device again.

“And where is the accompanying cape?” I asked her.

Bethany glanced up and rolled her eyes. Then she looked over to the bed before reaching down and grabbing another garment. “Here’s your cardigan, weirdo.”

I eyed it distastefully before tying the long ends around my neck in some semblance of my standard look. At least it didn’t have animals on it. It would have to do.

Bethany sighed. “Finally, let’s go. And put your coat on. It’s colder than a penguin’s ass out there.” She gestured to the wooden stand near the front door, then started to pull me toward the door through which she’d entered, but I wasn’t sure what lay beyond. Plus, I suddenly felt famished, so I stopped short.

“What about breakfast, tea? I can’t leave without eating.”

Bethany passed me but turned when she got to the door. “I already stopped at the bodega. I’ve got your bacon, egg, and cheese; now let’s go.”

I would only put up with her orders for so long. This was not my world but soon I would be giving the orders. Given my stomach was calling out to me, I said, “You have bacon, eggs, and cheese in your bag?”

Bethany made a face and then dug her hand into her bag. She pulled out a small round, metal-looking thing and held it out to me.

It’s warm to the touch. I smelled it. “Ahh…” With sustenance in hand, I followed Bethany out the door. Once on the other side, I was so entranced by the possibility of food, I didn’t notice anything else. I peeled back the protective covering, and as she promised, inside was a hot sandwich. Amazing.

I ate as I followed behind Bethany down a corridor with doors on either side. I had more curiosity than fear, and I wondered if it was because of this wonderous delight. I swallowed down the bite in my mouth and stopped. “Wait.”

Bethany stopped a few steps ahead of me, swiveling her head left and right, as if she just realized I wasn’t beside her. She turned. “What? What’s wrong?”

I held up the sandwich. “This is the most miraculous thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“Okaaay . . .”

As I took another bite, Beth squinted her eyes at me. “What is wrong with you today? You’ve had Edwards’ bacon, egg, and cheese on a roll every day. It’s exactly the same because you never change your order.”

Hmm, so this Andi is a creature of habit. Maybe all the humans in this plane were.

She took a step closer and stared at me with a strange expression. “I don’t know why you’re acting like you’ve never had this before. Did you hit your head or something?”

I shrugged. It was entirely possible I had hit my head. Maybe this whole thing was a figment of my imagination.

“First, Daniel and now this? Is there something you’re not telling me, Andi?”

I fought the urge to correct her. Andi sounded like a child’s name, not the ruthless warrior I’d come to be. Instead of answering, I took another bite of the miracle in my hands, and chewed while shaking my head for a response.

Glaring at a metal band on her wrist, Bethany yelped. “Seriously, we do not have time to go into whatever weird stuff”—she pointed her finger in my direction and moved it around in a circle—“is going on with you. We’re gonna be late.”

Late for what? Maybe there was battle ahead. Something I’d finally approve of. I wanted to ask but thought better of it. If I was trapped in the life of this Andi person, asking a bunch of questions would likely put me in a compromising situation. Perhaps I should keep my cards close to the vest while I figured out what the hell was happening to me and how I could get my magic back. Once that happened, I was sure I’d find a way to get back to my own world. Who knows what havoc Kane is wreaking without me there to keep him in line.

For all I knew I had a new foe to fend off. What if this Bethany was an enemy as well, biding her time before she pumped me for information and then banished me to some impenetrable prison? This offering of food might have been a trap. I froze my chewing and stared at the last bit of sandwich in my hands. Well, it’s too late now. I crammed the rest of it in my mouth, hoping for more soon.

In silence, I followed Bethany out of the dwelling, mentally preparing myself to be amid the strange village I’d seen out the window. What other new wonders—or threats—would await me?